Apr 10, 2019

California grape crush up 6.2%

California grapes crushed in 2018 topped 4.5 million tons – a mark that surpassed the previous year although not the record set in 2013, according to the annual report from the National Agricultural Statistics Service.

The 2018 crush totaled 4,506,583 tons, up 6.2% from the 2017 crush of 4,241,945 tons. Red wine varieties accounted for the largest share of all grapes crushed, at 2,447,930 tons, up 8.8% from 2017. The 2018 white wine variety crush totaled 1,833,755 tons, up 3.8% from 2017. Tons crushed of raisin-type varieties totaled 82,508, down 12.5% from 2017, and tons crushed of table-type varieties totaled 142,391, up 8% from 2017.

The 2018 average price of all varieties was $831.63, up 6.8% from 2017. Average prices for the 2018 crop by type were as follows:

• Red wine grapes, $1,019.03, up 5.5% from 2017;
• White wine grapes, $634.84, up 8% from 2017;
• Raisin grapes, $299.48, up 18.4%;
• And table grapes, $192.01, up 7.6%.

In 2018, Chardonnay continued to account for the largest percentage of the total crush volume with 15.8%. Cabernet Sauvignon accounted for the second leading percentage of crush with 15.1%. Thompson Seedless, the leading raisin grape variety crushed for 2018, was only 1.5% of the total crush.

Districts and prices

District 13, (Madera, Fresno, Alpine, Mono, Inyo Counties; and Kings and Tulare Counties north of Nevada Avenue (Avenue 192)), had the largest share of the State’s crush, at 1,370,068 tons. The average price per ton in District 13 was $318.38.

Grapes produced in District 4 (Napa County) received the highest average price of $5,571.44 per ton, up 6.6% from 2017. District 3 (Sonoma and Marin counties) received the second highest return of $2,817.92, up 0.3% from 2017. The 2018 Chardonnay price of $970.76 was up 5.1% from 2017, and the Cabernet Sauvignon price of $1,683.25 was up 8.3% from 2017. The 2018 average price for Zinfandel was $600.21, up 1.5% from 2017, while the Pinot Noir average price was down 0.9% from 2017 at $1,674.62 per ton.